Took Off Old Horn and Put on 2 of the 4 1988 Caddy Horns from a Fleetwood de Elegante
03-20-2006, 11:48 PM
#1
Deceased
Thread Starter
Join Date: 10-03-2005
Location: Sachse, TX NE Dallas
Posts: 2,351
Took Off Old Horn and Put on 2 of the 4 1988 Caddy Horns from a Fleetwood de Elegante
I really did not like the horn on the HHR and read alot about them here and on another forum so I decided to take it out and put the one on and then put the other on the other side. my fri and sat project before the rain hit and hit and hit,,, we have had around 4 to 9 inches in the area
The horn is on the drivers side and it is a pain to get to. you literally have to take off the front bumper to get to it. to get bumper off you have to remove the 4 screws on the front on the left and right side of the radiator. then take out the 2 plugs and screw on the wheel wells on both sides and then carefully you have to pull out the bumper under the headlight and near the top,,, this is fun and there are tabs you have to push down to get them off and out and the bumper off. i just pulled the bumper off enough to just let it rest on the metal in front and out of the way
i took off the old one, changed the plug and had to make a ground wire for the 2nd and put a caddy horn on and then added another to the other side extending it off of the original wire to the first.
i will post a video with sound clip of my new Horns tomorrow and when i can get the video on google so i can put it on here,,, they sound big and beefy compared to the puny sound of the one that came on it.
i love them and they are different pitched and just sound like a big car
The horn is on the drivers side and it is a pain to get to. you literally have to take off the front bumper to get to it. to get bumper off you have to remove the 4 screws on the front on the left and right side of the radiator. then take out the 2 plugs and screw on the wheel wells on both sides and then carefully you have to pull out the bumper under the headlight and near the top,,, this is fun and there are tabs you have to push down to get them off and out and the bumper off. i just pulled the bumper off enough to just let it rest on the metal in front and out of the way
i took off the old one, changed the plug and had to make a ground wire for the 2nd and put a caddy horn on and then added another to the other side extending it off of the original wire to the first.
i will post a video with sound clip of my new Horns tomorrow and when i can get the video on google so i can put it on here,,, they sound big and beefy compared to the puny sound of the one that came on it.
i love them and they are different pitched and just sound like a big car
03-21-2006, 12:05 AM
#3
Senior Member
Join Date: 02-03-2006
Location: Cleveland, Ohio
Posts: 1,406
Originally Posted by SoCalHHR
Way to go CJ! If anyone could do it - you could! 
Can't wait to hear the sound clips!
Can't wait to hear the sound clips!
03-21-2006, 08:28 AM
#4
Senior Member
Join Date: 03-08-2006
Location: NE OHIO
Posts: 107
I agree that the HHR horn is wimpy and mentioned this to my son just yesterday. He is going to order a pair of horns somewhere for around $20 that are very compact, yet very loud and have a nice sound. He put these horns on his "new" 1934 Dodge Street Rod Pickup. However, I didn't know that removing the HHR bumper was necessary. We have a shop at work (TP Tools in Canfield, Ohio) where we build street rods and do restoration work and have a guy that can do just about anything. I will print this post for his information. If he figures out a shortcut (installing the HHR horns), I will post this information - give me a couple of weeks to receive the horns and get the HHR into our shop.
In addition to the HHR, I also have a 2003 FX45 that had a very nice horn, but not the volume that you would expect on such and expensive (and fast) car. I had the Infiniti dealer install a 2nd horn (cost $55 for the horn and $84 labor). It did the job. There are certain situations where a loud horn is necessary and could save our lives, so I plan to somehow install the new horns. My previous car (2003 PT Cruiser Turbo) also had a wimpy horn - even worse than the HHR. I was going to change that horn too, but never got around to it and traded it in on the HHR. Wouldn't it have been nice if there was a "dual horn option" for the HHR? For around $20 or so, most of us would buy it.
In addition to the HHR, I also have a 2003 FX45 that had a very nice horn, but not the volume that you would expect on such and expensive (and fast) car. I had the Infiniti dealer install a 2nd horn (cost $55 for the horn and $84 labor). It did the job. There are certain situations where a loud horn is necessary and could save our lives, so I plan to somehow install the new horns. My previous car (2003 PT Cruiser Turbo) also had a wimpy horn - even worse than the HHR. I was going to change that horn too, but never got around to it and traded it in on the HHR. Wouldn't it have been nice if there was a "dual horn option" for the HHR? For around $20 or so, most of us would buy it.
03-21-2006, 09:22 AM
#5
Senior Member
Join Date: 02-03-2006
Location: Cleveland, Ohio
Posts: 1,406
Originally Posted by FRITZ45
Wouldn't it have been nice if there was a "dual horn option" for the HHR? For around $20 or so, most of us would buy it.
03-21-2006, 10:26 AM
#6
Senior Member
Join Date: 02-20-2006
Location: Sacramento, CA
Posts: 520
Horn
WOW
Sounds great!
I know where the horn is located as we removed the bumper when we did the flames on my HHR.
I can't remember what the stock horn sounds like. I'll have to try it.
Time to wake up the neighbors anyway.
Sounds great!
I know where the horn is located as we removed the bumper when we did the flames on my HHR.
I can't remember what the stock horn sounds like. I'll have to try it.
Time to wake up the neighbors anyway.
03-21-2006, 11:19 AM
#8
Senior Member
Join Date: 10-14-2005
Location: SoCal
Posts: 5,359
Originally Posted by hvrod
I replaced my horns, and didn't even have to take off the bumper..
03-21-2006, 07:17 PM
#9
Senior Member
Join Date: 03-08-2006
Location: NE OHIO
Posts: 107
Originally Posted by booksmitty
I can't remember what the stock horn sounds like. I'll have to try it.
Time to wake up the neighbors anyway.
Time to wake up the neighbors anyway.
Don't worry, unless your neighbors live within 20 ft. of your house, your HHR won't wake them up! I can't wait to add new horns to my HHR so I can wake up my neighbors instead.Fritz45
03-21-2006, 09:27 PM
#10
Senior Member
Join Date: 12-18-2005
Location: Middle Village, NY
Posts: 1,780
Be careful with changing anything electrical-I was told that the circuits, fuses, and wires are not capable of handling more load than they are designed with. I tried adding airhorns and pulled the power from the fuse box only to get no sound, and occassionally losing all power for a while. I was told that I should run a line directly from the battery for any power upgrades, including horns, different radio with internal amp, etc.
Check the fuse in the box to see its amp rating-I believe it is only 10 amps, maybe 15. If the new horn(s) draw more, you will blow the fuse. (This is why I did not hook up my airhorns to the stock wiring).
Check the fuse in the box to see its amp rating-I believe it is only 10 amps, maybe 15. If the new horn(s) draw more, you will blow the fuse. (This is why I did not hook up my airhorns to the stock wiring).